UN chief defends WHO after Donald Trump threat

United Nations: UN Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres underscored the need of the World Well being Group (WHO) through the COVID-19 (coronavirus) disaster within the face of a risk by US President Donald Trump to withhold funds for the UN company.

“The WHO, with thousands of its staff, is on the front lines, supporting member states and their societies, especially the most vulnerable among them, with guidance, training, equipment and concrete life-saving services as they fight the virus,” Antonio Guterres mentioned in a press release on Wednesday, reported Xinhua information company.

“It is my belief that the WHO must be supported, as it is absolutely critical to the world’s efforts to win the war against COVID-19,” he mentioned.

Additionally Learn:Donald Trump Warns To Put A Maintain On WHO Funding

Trump on Tuesday criticised the WHO’s response to COVID-19 and threatened to freeze US funding for it.

Guterres mentioned that after the present well being disaster is over, there shall be time to check how such a illness emerged and unfold its devastation so rapidly and to guage the efficiency of all concerned.

However now just isn’t that point. Now could be the time for unity, for the worldwide neighborhood to work collectively in solidarity to cease this virus and its shattering penalties, he mentioned.

The scenario on the bottom appears to help Guterres’ enchantment for help for the WHO.

The confirmed variety of COVID-19 circumstances in Africa has risen to greater than 10,000 with greater than 500 recorded deaths, based on the WHO.

Whereas the virus was gradual to succeed in the continent in contrast with different elements of the world, infections have grown exponentially in current weeks and are persevering with to unfold, it warned.

Africa’s first COVID-19 case was recorded in Egypt on February 14 and since then the variety of African international locations reporting circumstances has risen to 52 out of a complete of 54.

The WHO mentioned communities must be empowered, and provincial and district ranges of presidency want to make sure they’ve the sources and experience to reply to the outbreaks regionally.

The UN company is working with governments throughout Africa to scale up their capacities in essential response areas comparable to coordination, surveillance, isolation, case administration and call tracing, an infection prevention and management, danger communication and neighborhood engagement.

The chief spokesman for the secretary-general, Stephane Dujarric, mentioned the United Nations is supporting the Nigerian authorities in efforts to curb the unfold of the virus. Three ambulances had been donated Wednesday to Lagos State, house to some 21 million folks. Different important preventive, testing and remedy gear procured by the United Nations is predicted to reach within the nation within the coming days.

In Zimbabwe, he mentioned a extreme climate- and recession-induced starvation is deepening the COVID-19 disaster. The World Meals Programme mentioned it’s urgently calling for US $130 million by way of August to assist thousands and thousands of essentially the most susceptible folks within the nation.

A current nationwide evaluation discovered that the variety of acutely meals insecure Zimbabweans has risen to 4.Three million from 3.eight million on the finish of final yr, the spokesman mentioned. Greater than half, 7.7 million folks, of the nation’s inhabitants are thought to be meals insecure.

In Venezuela, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the nation, Peter Grohmann, mentioned the primary cargo of 90 tons of UN life-saving provides was scheduled to reach on Wednesday to help the COVID-19 response.

The cargo contains 28,000 private protecting gear kits for well being employees on the entrance line in addition to oxygen concentrators, pediatric beds, water high quality management merchandise and hygiene kits.

The provides have been financed by the worldwide donor neighborhood, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund and UN companies, Dujarric mentioned.

The United Nations Kids’s Fund (UNICEF) in Spain has delivered the primary batch of medical provides to well being authorities to help the struggle towards the pandemic, he mentioned.

The cargo contains hand sanitizer and gloves and extra provides are anticipated within the coming days, together with face masks, gloves, detection kits, and private protecting gear.

For the world’s poorest international locations, the monetary fallout brought on by the pandemic, mixed with debilitating debt-service obligations, are hampering their skill to forestall additional transmission and defend residents, she mentioned in a press release on Tuesday. “The situation is already dire, and it is only going to get worse.”

A report of the Worldwide Labour Group mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic is predicted to wipe out 6.7 % of working hours globally within the second quarter of 2020, equal to 195 million full-time employees.

The UN Financial and Social Fee for Asia and the Pacific reviews in a examine that COVID-19 is having far-reaching financial and social penalties for the area, with robust cross-border spillover results by way of commerce, tourism and monetary linkages.